SOTC: A dance of Shadows
by Echofalls
Summary: Gods don't die. Merely sleep.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

A figure walked across the marble floor, attempting to keep their footsteps as quiet as possible, a book clutched in their arms as they sat down in a chair and emitted a sigh as they took the weight off their feet. They took the book from their arms and opened it. The figure looked up at the body lying in the bed, the steady beep of machines showing she was still clinging to life. But cancer was a killer. It just took it's time. 'I know you can hear me.' they said to the sleeping person as they smiled at her. 'I've brought you something. You always loved this story.' his voice cracked with emotion as he tried to stave off the flood of tears at the thought of the inevitable.

"_**Once there stood a land. Sealed away for the good of others. Deep in the shadows there lay a being. Once capable of controlling beings born from light. Once a fool came, seeking life for one that had been driven into death's clutches; a cursed one. The fool took it upon himself, for the Deceiver had spoken to him, to go out and break the binds that held the demon to the land. In return the demon would bring back she who had fallen into death's clutches.**_

The Fool accomplished his task and the demon was set free. But, before the Deceiver had the chance to escape his prison, others arrived to halt the demon's evil plan; knights in shining armour bound the beast once again to the land and vanquished the Fool to oblivion. Being sure that none could enter the land again, the temple was sealed and eternal guardians were placed to watch over it. The heroes were always remembered for their courage and valour in the face of evil. Now their descendants watch and wait, protecting the world should this evil ever try and rise again. They watch and wait. As does the demon; Dormin." 

He stopped reading and looked up. 'You always loved that, didn't you? Knights in shining armour, coming to save you from deepest darkness. Sleep, sweet angel.' he leant forwards and brushed a loose strand of her hair back before turning to leave.

Footsteps leaving the hospital.

Headlights.

A screech of tires.

The thump of a corpse.

A cloud passed over the moon. Shadows covered the street. The driver turned his back. The cloud left the moon. A disembodied shadow stood over the body. They reached out and touched his heart. A gasp. A cry of pain. The corpse awoke.

_**We will be free...**_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter one: Some things should be left buried.

The camera flickered on slowly, numbers counting up as it began to record. The screen cleared to reveal a woman in her late teens. She looked slightly out of breath, brown hair and skin covered in thick dust. '_This..'_ she stopped to run a hand across her face, brushing the dust away from her green eyes. '_This is Samantha Jinx, archaeologist. We've just finished our excavation around the mountain areas and have uncovered some kind of ruins. We're about to excavate those ruins and see what it could've once been.'_ She stopped and looked thoughtful. '_I wonder what we'll find…' _

'Alright! Let's get this road on the show!' Samantha clapped her hands together as she walked over to her dig team, most of them gone on a break, but those who were more excited by the find had stayed behind to help her with exploring the ruins. Samantha might have been on "work experience" but her enthusiasm was unlike anyone else on the team.

Torches blinked on as they walked around, the main members of the team stayed behind to explore the main staircase, Samantha was braver and decided to enter the main hall. As she entered, she found something intriguing; a large hall with several large idols lining the walls, flanked by smaller black stone statues. They all seemed identical, except for one. Samantha walked over to the odd one out, it had one arm over its eyes and the other was clutching a beautiful blade. Carefully she grabbed it and gave it a small tug, it didn't move. She tried it again and the blade came loose. With a sigh, she rested a hand on the statue as she examined it. Then she stopped, the statue felt…Odd. Like it wasn't stone. She spun around, a sudden feeling that she was being watched. Nothing. Just the statues. 'Stop cracking up…' Sam muttered to herself before leaving to show the others what she had found. The Sentinels watched her go, their crimson eyes not leaving her form.

'How old do you think it is?' Sam asked as they returned to their tent.  
'Don't know.' A team member shrugged as he took another drag from his cigarette. 'Bloody good condition though. Look at the way it catches the light.' As if to prove his point he tilted the sword up slightly and the illumination from the ceiling lights caught the blade, making it sparkle as it reflected it around the room. Sam knew this was going to be an interesting dig.

'Don't tell me what to do!' a male's voice boomed through the house. There came loud footsteps and the sound of a door slamming, a story book tumbled down the stairs. A man sat at the bottom of the stairs, staring hopelessly up at the door that had slammed. Family trouble again. Ever since Ava passed away and Ella... Poor Ella, Michael had trouble getting along with his son. Why did he have to go through his rebellious stage now? Couldn't he have done it earlier in his entire eighteen years? 'Zack! Come down here!' he barked up the stairs. No reply.

Zack, in fact, was not in his room anymore. Like so many days previously, he had leapt from his window to a tree and climbed down that. He needed to go let off some steam. As it was so late, he knew most people would be asleep and many of his old haunts would be empty. He stopped as he came across a dig site. 'This isn't breaking and entering.' he groaned as he pulled himself over the fence and wandered further in. 'What did I break?' He walked down the stairs to the central chamber; he loved places like this, places with deep, mysterious history. Then he felt like he was being watched. He spun on the spot, searching for what was watching him. He couldn't find it, whatever it was. At the end of the central hall was a large altar or table of some kind. 'I wonder who this belongs to?' he muttered. Something moved behind him, he turned to see what it was, but it darted out of view. 'Hello?' He shone his torch into every empty alcove of the room. Nothing. 'Hm. Interesting.' he stopped as he approached a large idol, a flicker from the storybook came back to him. 'This looks like-. Nah, they're just stories, a child's bedtime tale. No such creature as Dormin-' a chilling breath came down his neck. Zack turned around and his eyes went wide in fear. The torch clattered to the ground, blub breaking on impact and once more plunging the room into darkness.

Sam arrived early at the dig site the next day, body bristling with excitement of what she could find. To her shock she found an ambulance parked outside. She rushed in to find the other members of her team and a paramedic looking over the body of a guy a few months older then her. His skin was pale with sweat, black hair- with a very faint purple tinge- down to his shoulders, yet sleeping peacefully. There was one thing that drew her attention; on the back of his right hand was a small stencilled tattoo of intertwining black shapes, confined within the outline of a small box a few inches in size. Although...Judging by the sore skin around it, it looked more like it had been scorched onto his skin. 'Mm...' the teen stirred before going silent again.  
'Where was he?' Sam wondered.  
'He...He was inside the ruins. Collapsed on the altar.' a female archaeologist, Lisa Capri muttered as she chewed her clean nails nervously. She turned to the paramedic. 'Is he alright?'  
'He's in a stable condition, but unresponsive...'  
'B...Blade...' the teen groaned suddenly as he stirred again.  
'Unresponsive, you said.' Lisa quipped at the Paramedic. Everyone leapt back as the teen suddenly sat bolt upright, blue eyes wide and staring straight ahead before he slowly lay back down, looking slowly from person to person. 'You OK?' Lisa wondered. The teen paid her no acknowledgement. 'Hey, watch this light. Follow it.' the paramedic ordered as he traced a small pen light in front of his eyes and he followed it lazily. The paramedic soon came to the conclusion that he was fine. 'What were you doing in there?' Lisa asked him. He looked at her, but didn't reply. 'You going to answer me?' No reply. 'Ugh...' Lisa hit her forehead and turned away. 'Someone else try. He's just being rude.'

It turned out, they had only managed to extract one piece of information from him, his name; Zack. 'This is getting nowhere.' Sam sighed after the 100th question. 'We're giving him hundreds of questions and easy answers, he's not listening.'  
'Maybe...We're asking the wrong questions?'  
'Just let him go, surely he has some home to go to.' Lisa shrugged. They let Zack go and watched him wander off into the distance. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Spurn the moment.

'Hm, seems like there was something beyond here.' Lisa steadily examined the collapse that had occurred over what could've once been a passage. 'Isn't there a skylight or something around here?' she demanded as she pointed her torch at the ceiling. There was indeed a skylight, but collapsing rubble from above and tree roots had clogged it up. _Creak._ She spun around, hearing something move behind her. Just the statues and idols and her in the room. She turned her back and stared back up at the circular skylight, contemplating how to clear it.

Zack milled around outside the ruins, staring up at the cloudy skies. '...Why should I do this again?' he wondered, his voice lacking emotion. The voice that replied was like silent thunder, roaring through his mind. '_**Thou shall do what We agreed, mortal.'**_  
'What if I don't want to?' Zack demanded.  
'_**Does thou not wish to uphold thy bargain?'**_  
'Yes! Of course I do! I'd do _anything_ for this! What about you? Will you keep your end?' Zack felt the tattoo scorched onto his skin.  
'_**Yes.**_' the reply was blunt.  
'Ok...I'll...Do it.' Zack sighed deeply. 'Just...Folklore says-'  
'_**Does thou believe what the victors write to be true?'**_  
'You saying it's a lie? Why should I believe you?'  
'_**We have a deal, mortal.'**_

'There!' Lisa let out a laugh as the rubble collapsed and sunlight came in through the hole. 'Sam, you gotta see this, girl!' she laughed into the radio.  
'_Yep, sure, be there soon.'_ Sam's voice came back as she lowered the radio. The girl in question was standing inside the tent, finishing off a sandwich. 'Give me another ten minutes.' she muttered to herself. She tossed her wrappers away before turning to leave; she stopped as she saw something odd. Several of those statues were surrounding the case with the sword in it. One of them was reaching out, about to lift up the case. Intrigued as to how they got there she approached one of them. She could see it was more like a shadow then a statue. All of them seemed to be staring at the blade, dark crimson eyes not leaving it. Feeling slightly spooked now, Samantha took the blade from the case slowly, half expecting one of them to reach out and grab her. She weaved between the shadowy figures and ran from the tent. She had to get away from here. Something was going on here, and Sam had the unsettling feeling that she was tangled in the events now.

3 WEEKS LATER:

Sam sat at home in her comfy sofa, the sword on a display on the wall. She just wanted to put the events behind her, even after getting away scot-free with the sword; she couldn't bring herself to throw it away. Not while those...Things were after her. She snuggled up on the sofa, under a blanket and flicked aimlessly through the TV channels.

Moonlight came through the skylight in the temple and landed on a dark figure staring up at it. They simple stared at the light as it came down, watching it dance through the dusty air. 'Yes, my Lord.' he whispered before falling silent again and listening. 'I shall see it is done...' Head bowed down, he walked away once more.

Sam opened her eyes and switched the TV off, she was sure she had just heard the doorbell ring. She walked over to the front door of her home, seriously, who would be calling at this time of night? Were they trying to wake her parents? She stopped and picked up a letter that had been posted through her door. It was on yellowing paper with her name scrawled on it. Intrigued as to who could be sending her mail, she carefully opened it and pulled out the sheet of paper from within and unfolded it. Blank. 'What?' she wondered before nearly dropping the paper as dark ink swirled into being and formed into a shadowy figure. _Greetings, young traveller.'_ a male voice whispered, somewhat familiar. '_You have been invited to attend The Ritual. Should you choose to attend then proceed to the temple that lies just beyond your village, please bring any artefacts you may have recovered from the temple with you. Only travellers who present this invitation will be admitted into the Ritual.'_ the figure stopped and gave a small bow. '_My lord awaits you.'_ then he faded away, leaving Sam staring blankly at the paper. 'W-what? What just happened?' Did someone know she had pinched the sword? Was this some kind of joke done by her friends on the team? Well...There was only one way to find out...

She was walking through the village, it would take her a few hours to get to the temple and her parents had just given her the get-go to "go out and play" Geez, she was nearly eighteen! She could take care of herself- she stopped as she found a poster glued to the window of the co-op. Apparently some man's son had gone missing and the father was distraught. 'I've seen him before...Where?' she muttered before shifting the rucksack with the sword in it.  
'Have you seen my son?' a man asked as he emerged from the post office. 'Please, it's important, have you seen him?'  
'I'm sorry, no.' Sam replied calmly. The father looked upset and muttered as he walked away. 'Son; gone. Wife; dead. Daughter; dying. Whatever deity cursed me with this?' Samantha felt a twinge of pity as she watched him walk away, his head hung down and sighing deeply.

The moon was obscured in the sky by the downpour of a storm as Sam reached the temple; she looked back at the ruins of what once could've been described as a bridge, before walking over to the light that was coming from the temple door. Its source was a dark coated figure holding a lantern. Their coat was as dark as black went and the hood was pulled up tightly over their face, two horns sewn on either side of the hood. 'Welcome.' he said as Sam drew close to him. Blue eyes watching her carefully. 'May I see your invitation?' Sam fished around in her various pockets until she found the paper. 'Here it is.' she said as she held it out. The shadowy figure appeared once more. '_The bearer of this invitation is admitted to the ritual.'_ they stated before fading. The man stared at where they had been before turning to look at Sam. 'That is fine. Follow me.' he said, his voice void of emotion. As he turned away his face was caught in the light of the lantern. 'Wait!' Sam gasped and he turned back. 'You're Zack, aren't you? The one who went missing from the village?'  
'I'm afraid you are mistaken. I have always resided in these lands and have always served my lord.'  
'But, this place was only discovered recently, there was no-one here!' Sam replied  
'Your logic is incorrect.'  
'About what?' Sam asked, but he turned his back on her again.  
'Please, follow me.'

The room was as she remembered it, only now it was cleaner and well lit with candles. A large oak table with various fruits had been set up along with benches; some of these were occupied by other people. But the atmosphere of the room still felt shadowy. She _still_ couldn't shake that uneasy feeling of being watched. Being watched by something powerful. 'Please, take a seat.' Sam jumped; she had forgotten where she was for a moment. But she slid onto the bench at the other end of the hall as Zack moved into the shaft of moonlight coming down from the hole in the ceiling. There he stood stone still, staring up at the hole. His eyes sparkled with tears and his expression became sad, like he was listening to something. 'My lord...' his voice was barely a whisper. '...Poor shattered soul...' Suddenly his ears pricked up. 'Yes...' he looked down and turned to the others. 'The Ritual will now begin.' Far up in the central staircase, the words floated up to a single shadowy figure, they lowered a hand from their face as they heard this, revealing their blood red eyes. The shadows slipped off the Sentinel's body as they left, revealing pure white skin, engraved with various spells.

'What ritual?' Sam wondered.  
'Yeah, what ritual?' the other woman asked, brushing her blonde hair back. 'You've told us about this but never mention anything beyond that.'  
'I am now at liberty to address your burning questions.' Zack stated calmly. 'But you may want to look out beyond.'  
'Where?' Sam asked as she looked around.  
'Beyond.' Zack stated before the collapse that had blocked off the passage beyond exploded outwards, pelting them with shards, beyond the now non-existent collapse were barren fields and hills. 'Your task is to retrieve the parts of a broken God.'  
'What?' Sam nearly laughed. 'What did you say?'  
'Once here stood a civilisation. Watched over by their god, Dormin, one of the Ancient Ones. Under Their rule, everything here prospered and flourished. Then the Others came. They followed another...The other deity stated that Dormin was evil and that They needed to be sealed away for the good of the land. A great battle ensued. In the end, Dormin was sealed away and Their soul shattered and scattered across this land, the other deity ruled that Dormin would never walk these lands again. The people were driven away, the still faithful were slaughtered, the cities and fields razed to the ground, all that remains is folklore.'  
'And Dormin is...?' Sam wondered calmly and Zack fixed her with an icy glare that made her voice catch in her throat. 'Have you not ears to listen?' he demanded coldly. 'Dormin was the defender of this land and its people.' He finished in a hiss.  
'Why doesn't it tell us this itself?' one of the men wondered.  
'Their power has waned over the centuries...Now I remain here. The last of Dormin's priests.'  
'That explains the get up...' Sam muttered under her breath.

The others had followed Zack's enigma–like directions (Just like Dormin *Ahem*) and had just left Sam with Zack. 'Are we going?' she wondered to him as Zack stared up at the light. 'Yes. But first... There is something I must do...' he said before turning and walking off. Sam waited impatiently for what felt an eternity; the cool wind blew through her hair. 'Now we can leave.' she turned around to find Zack standing behind her, hood pulled up tightly again, leaving his face in shadow, eyes glowing mysteriously. 'You OK?' Sam wondered, feeling something...odd. 'Yes, now we can begin.' he stated.

(_A/N: 'kay. Stopping here to state something. I've read through some other Fanfics on here and the majority of them portray Dormin as this kind of demon, devil, or "ultimate evil" or that They deceived Wander, betraying him. They did warn him, They did keep Their word and, at the ending, They say "We have __**BORROWED**__ the body of this warrior" Insisting They were going to give it back once They were stronger- had that religious old fart not intervened. I do not consider Dormin evil. I see no __**proof**__ that He / They are evil. I seen Them as an ancient deity that does not apply to modern interpretations of good and Wander's time, Dormin has been sleeping, the world and it's morals have moved on without him. He has just woken up. As you may have noticed within the Lands, there are ruins of civilizations there. Then there's the temple, showing- or hinting- that the people who lived there once __**worshipped**__ Dormin. A kind of earth, underworld/ resurrection God. All I can speculate anyway._

One more thing, looking back on Their form:

Horns= Power, fertility reference?  
Shadows= Mystery, that which is hidden.  
Sun= Life energy.)


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Sorcerer of the Citadel.

Sam walked through the lands uneasily, glancing left and right, searching for anything that moved. Zack however followed her with an easy, leisurely stroll. Pacing as though he was used to walking these lands, taking the time to admire the scenery around him. 'What are you looking at? There's nothing here, everything's dead.' Sam said as she turned back to find Zack looking around. 'It was not always this way...' he said slowly to her 'These lands were once fertile and flourishing with life. Though it may be difficult to believe it now...'

'Damn!' Sam cursed as she felt around in her backpack. 'I left the sword at the temple!' She could've sworn she saw Zack face-palm. 'Fool...' he breathed.  
'I'll...I'll go back and get it.' Sam said as she turned back to the near shape of the temple. As she hurried off into the distance, Zack watched her go.

Sam hurried back into the temple, panting as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked around for where she had left that sword. It was still on the table. As she approached she stopped in her tracks; a dark coated figure was cleaning the table. 'Zack?' she wondered, not knowing how he had gotten ahead of her. As she shook his shoulder gently, he stopped and turned to face her. 'Miss...It's cleaning time now.' he stated before turning back to the table and continued to scrub. Samantha was slightly taken aback, what was up with him? He...He couldn't have gotten ahead of her, it was a flat plain, she would've seen him. 'Am I going mad?' she muttered to herself, before realising that Zack was cleaning the sword now. Sam had to ask several times before she got it off him. She left Zack on his hands and knees, scrubbing the filthy floor.

'Why can't I just get a helicopter in here?' she whined as her trouser leg became caught on a rather large bush and it broke free with a resounding rip. Then she remembered what she had heard over the news. They wouldn't work over this part of the land, it was a dead zone. 'No luxury. No phone signal. No computer. No GPS.' she grumbled as she made her way back to the 'No technology!' she finished as she returned to Zack, or who she hoped was Zack, as he looked up at a dead tree. 'Have you finished your temper tantrum?' he wondered quietly without looking at her. Sam took another step back from him, she had been grumbling all the way here, and stabbing strange lizards with the sword as she went, taking her anger out on the land, but she had calmed down when she reached Zack, so...How did he know? Regardless, before she could ask, he was leading the way again.

'Why did the people seal away Dormin in the first place?'  
'Fear. People fear what they do not understand. Outsiders did not understand the laws of this land.'

'He's still...a...Good...god, right? We're not doing something evil?' Sam gulped, Zack turned to look her in the eyes. 'Define good and evil.' his voice was serious.  
'The...Uh...Morality of something based on the continuation of their effective actions-'  
'Do not tell the slander that others have taught you!' Zack exploded at her, eyes narrowing to slits. 'Such words as _good_ and _evil_ are just that; words. Your people give them meaning by choice and feeling that is based on _your_ perception of the world around you. To one man, Dormin may be seen as a mighty protector, a great, powerful being that watches over his home and protects his family. To another, Dormin may be seen as a great monster, a shadow of death that sweeps across the land, growing larger and more dominant as more people die.'  
'...What do you think he is?' Sam asked, choosing her words very carefully. Zack's livid expression melted away and his eyes softened again. He turned away before speaking. 'W- ...I-...Believe They want to be set free. Even the kindest of gods can go bitter with revenge and angry over the foolishness and blindness of mortal men.'

'What is this place?' Sam asked as they entered into the ruins of a vast battlefield.  
'We're entering the citadel.' Zack replied as he calmly followed. 'If we're going to get the Ritual going then we might as well go with the worst first. Try not to get splattered.'  
'By what?' Sam wondered as she looked around, expecting something to fall on her. Zack led the way further through the ruined citadel. They emerged into one of the trenches underneath and Zack stopped. 'These were _never_ here.' he walked over to the pitch black figure that had one hand over its face. 'What are you?' he wondered. He could feel a life in this creature, yet it acted like it was not a living thing. 'Nothing.' he shrugged before turning away. Only once his back was exposed, did the Sentinel shed its shadowy disguise and strike. 'Look out!' Sam ran ahead and shoved them both aside. 'Ow...' she groaned as they hit the floor. 'What are you made of, _bricks?_ You nearly broke my shoulder!'  
'Ugh...Cease thy whinging, pest.' Zack groaned.  
'Pardon? When did you start speaking ye old English?'  
'Nothing. Let's just deal with our friend.'  
'How?'  
'_How?_ You have a sword!' he yelled at her.  
'Oh, yeah. Funny the things you forget, huh?' Sam said before stabbing the sword into the Sentinel's chest. Their head tilted back and they let out a shrieking scream as white smoke billowed from their mouth, it consumed their entire body, leaving nothing behind. 'Glad that's over.' Sam stated as she sheathed the sword again before leading them on. 'Thank god there weren't more of them. I wouldn't be able to handle a whole horde.' they walked into one of the central trenches and Sam's mouth fell open. 'Aw...Shit.'

There were hundreds of them, all statuesque at the moment, but she knew they could spring to life in an instant. 'There!' Zack pointed to a glistening black and white gate at the end. 'Run!' Sam grabbed his hand as he took off, running past the Sentinels as they sprung to life and tried to grab Zack as he ran past. He reached the gate and pressed both hands against it. He emitted a low grunt as hundreds of dark tentacles burst from his body and impaled the Sentinels, killing them all in one go. As the tentacles vanished, the gate crumbled away under Zack's touch, allowing them to go further through the citadel.

'Holy...' Sam's mouth fell open as she looked up at the sheer size of the creature. Zack seemed unfazed and looked up at the Colossus with subtle envy. Malus, the Colossus in question, had watched these two approaching until they went underground. Then he had felt a very powerful energy for a second, before it faded again. 'Please say this is the biggest one.'  
'This is the biggest one.' Zack stated flatly.  
'Why are we facing the biggest one first?'  
'To make sure the task becomes easier once this one is felled.' Zack stated, though his thoughts were different. _Malus holds the most power...This will do well._

Malus paid almost no heed to the two tiny creatures that were running around near his feet. They were insects and he towered over the entire citadel, what could they possibly do to hurt him? He watched them with vague interest as they climbed up his body slowly. The Colossus let out a deep chuckle that shook their bones as one of them slipped slightly. Finally, something to amuse him.  
'_We will be free...'_  
Malus stopped in mid-chuckle. That voice! The one voice he thought he would never hear again. _'We will be free...'_ The voice again drew the Malus' attention, blinding him to the fact that the two climbers were now scaling his back. 'Here.' A tiny voice squeaked.  
'That's easy for you!' Another one replied before Malus felt a sharp pain and instinctively went to grab it. 'Jump!'  
Oh no. He wasn't falling for _that _again. Malus moved his hand, gratefully without the passengers as before. The two of them were going to have to find another way.  
'_We will be free...'_

'No-one told me there would be freaking LIZARDS here!' Alyssa Eyrie shuddered. Huge hulking creatures, she wasn't afraid of. Lizards on the other hand...She cowered in the corner, shuddering and squeaking as one of them came dangerously close to her. 'G-go away!' she ordered, poking the lizard with her foot. She emitted another squeak as it crawled over her mud encrusted boot. 'Get off me!' She reached out to brush it off, flinched and drew back before gently nudging it off with her fingers. Her fight with the lizard over, she felt her skin crawl as she stood back up and edged her way around it. She HAD to get out of here. Screw the Ritual, there were LIZARDS here!

Malus let out a deep guttural groan as that final sharp pain shot through his skull, black blood bursting free into the air as Malus breathed his last and surrendered to the abyss. The last thing he heard was the squeaky voice of the female as she and her companion tumbled from his head. 'Oh shiiii-!' she cried as she tumbled through the air, Zack falling next to her, looking rather calm about the whole thing. She looked up to see dark tendrils flying away from the dead Colossus, heading towards the temple. The force and speed of which she fell caused her to black out as the ground came rapidly closer. 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Face value.

'Oof!' her fall was far softer then she had expected. She opened her eyes slowly to see Zack standing over her, his hood down again. A look of concern on his features. 'Are you alright, miss?' he wondered in his usual emotionless voice. Samantha sat up and Zack retreated slightly, then she noticed something, the tattoo on his right hand had grown and spread, it now covered the skin up to his elbow, where the sleeve had torn, with its intertwining black lines. 'My lord is pleased with your efforts in slaying Malus.'  
'Well...Thanks for your help too.'  
'My help?' he looked confused. 'I have been here. Cleaning and restoring the temple.'  
'Then who was I-?' she spun around, for a second she was sure she heard laughter. 'Hm.' she turned back to Zack, who was looking past her. 'The others have yet to return. Would you care for something to eat?' he wondered faintly and Sam grabbed him as he began to fall sideways. 'Hey, are you OK?' she wondered as she helped him back to his feet.  
'Yes. The Ritual is in effect now.'  
'So we slew Malus, we're done right? Dormin's out?'  
'No...We must...Free the others.' he began and Sam caught him again as he started to fall over, he was gently holding onto the marks on his arm. 'Yeah. You're in fine shape for that.' Sam muttered as she helped him to a bench. 'I...I'll be fine.' Zack shook his head, as though trying to shake something off. 'We must keep going.'

'What did you say?' the old woman asked the Sentinel in front of her. It repeated in its echoing voice. 'No, hold on a moment.' the secretary picked up her ice tea and took a mouthful. 'Mm.' she nodded, giving a go ahead sign. The Sentinel repeated again and the secretary spat out her ice tea for added effect. 'What? OK. Go see her.' The Sentinel moved on into the next room. 'Yes?' A female voice demanded, bouncing off the walls. The Sentinel explained the situation and she sat up slightly higher in her chair. 'What?' she shook her head, white locks falling over her face. 'He must be stopped. For the good of the world.' she paused as the Sentinel continued to explain. 'From the village?' she stopped in thought, spewing her sentence fragments into the air. '...Then they have been tainted. Cursed. They need to be cleansed. _Purged._' she looked solemn as she found the better word. 'Tell the others to keep a look out, the demon must not escape. I will assemble the teams!' she stood up as the Sentinel bowed and took off.

Valus let out a deep sigh as he fell towards the ground, creating a minor tremor that shook the plant life and dislodged several small rocks. Sam watched as the dark tendrils burst from his head and spiralled through the air, instead of flying towards the temple as she had expected, it buried into Zack who fell to his knees, groaning as his body absorbed all of them. 'Dormin...' he whispered before collapsing. Samantha was by his side immediately, helping him back to consciousness. She watched in mild horror as the tattoo spread further, spreading up his entire arm. Before she could blink, there was a bright light and they were both resting on the floor of the temple. Zack opened his eyes and gasped deeply before standing up. 'Are you alright?'  
'I'll be fine.'  
'This always gonna hurt you so much?'  
'I need to do this...' Zack groaned as he felt the marks on his arm.  
'Why?'  
'I'm not going to lose…Not going to lose her…' he groaned.  
'Who?'  
'Never you mind. We have to keep going.' The two of them set out again. Leaving the now clean shrine in silence. A few minutes passed, if anyone was there, and if they listened carefully, the wind that blew through the temple could be interpreted as someone humming a tune…

Alyssa stumbled back into the temple, no way was she going back out there with those lizards! She was going to go back home and have a nice warm bath! As she made her way out of the temple, she stopped at the doors. 'Miss?' She spun around to find that ote She replied.  
'Does thou not wish to complete the Ritual?'  
'No "thou" does not' she replied before pointing past him. 'Lizards!'  
'Art thou so terrified of harmless fauna?' she could tell he was smirking.  
'Yes, I'm going.'  
'Fair thee well then.' He stated she nodded and left she had walked but a few feet away before turning to look back, he was gone.

Sam tugged Zack by the arm, following the beam of light that came from her sword. They emerged into the remains of a ruined arena 'Shit' she muttered as she saw several shadowy statues. Knowing what was coming, she dragged Zack along as they burst into life. She looked back over her shoulder to check for them, where did they go? 'Up! Look up!' Zack ordered. Sam glanced up and cursed again, the Sentinels all had large angelic-looking wings that they were using to stay airborne. 'The seal!' Zack pointed at a familiar glowing black and white gate. Sam tugged him towards it and she watched as the Sentinels turned to ash from the magickal blast. Zack shut his eyes as he raised his hand up, extending his arms out so he was almost touching the gate. The material of the door began creaking loudly as it dried up and cracked, with a crash they became disjointed from the walls and fell away from the two of them, crashing to the ground before bursting into flames and turning to dust. 'Now we can go on.'  
'Well duh.' Sam rolled her eyes. 'Obviously seeing as Dormin's made you into some kind of human skeleton key.' Sam stated and Zack gave a smile, a real smile.

'Hello?' Alyssa called out as she walked into the town. Silence. 'Where the heck is everybody? HELLO?' annoyed and fed up with lizards, she went home and turned on her TV before running a bath, the sound came to her. '_…So unfortunately, the dog had to be put down.'_  
'Aww.' Alyssa muttered at the thought.  
'_In other news, the Chrysalis town, off the local border, has been placed under quarantine by military forces.' _  
'Quarantine?' Alyssa stopped the taps and walked into the living room where the TV was blaring.  
'_Information is vague at the moment, but apparently the local residents were infected by some form of viral agent in the late hours of last night. The military and local governments have planned to decontaminate the villagers and hopefully integrate them back into society once more. Until then, the town and surrounding areas have been closed off for your own safety.' _Alyssa sat down and continued watching. '_Cabinet leader and military official, Patricia Black, had this to say about the crisis;'_ the image changed to show a white haired woman. '_These are very troublesome times for us and we must stay strong if we are to fight off and end this evil__-__' _Alyssa turned the TV off. She had a bath to run.

'Go back to your pit! Go back to your fanatical leader!' Zack yelled at a Sentinel that had started following them. 'We need a better plan!' Sam said as she accidentally cornered both of them. Zack charged towards the beast, leaping forwards a few feet, he landed and spread his arms out, focusing his anger and rage into energy. 'AGH!' he yelled in rage as Sam felt a blast of magickal energy that rent the air and sent the Sentinel stumbling backwards. 'HA!' Zack took advantage of this and leapt onto their chest, releasing another blast of energy and knocking the Sentinel back further. Zack used the momentum from this to somersault off the creature's chest and land next to Sam. 'Better?' he wondered.  
'Yep. _That_ was a better plan. Do it again.' She stated as the Sentinel began to recover, looking in shock at the crimson blood coming from its chest. Zack rushed forwards again, initiating a reverse roundhouse kick to their head. Sam flinched as she heard their neck snap and their body dissolved as they hit the floor. 'Good night, sunshine!' Zack laughed. Once they were sure there were no more Sentinels following, they decided to drop into a conversation. 'How did you do that?' she asked.  
'I don't know…Before you slew Malus, I wasn't able to do these things.'  
'Where do you think the magic came from?' Sam wondered and Zack smiled at this.  
'From Dormin. It is Them, trying to protect the land from invaders, those who want to stop Them.'  
'What do you think is going to happen to you?'  
'I don't know…I can only assume that the magickal power that lies within me will grow stronger and more potent as Dormin does.'

'That's good, isn't it?'  
'It depends on your angle…' Zack replied as he looked a tattooed hand over. 'But for me, yes, it's good. These lands will thrive and prosper again.' 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Arena brawl .

'Oww…' Zack groaned as they came to. Several hours had passed, several colossi lay dead, but now dawn was starting to rise. Gaius had not been kind to them. Zack clutched a bleeding arm; flying stones had sliced his wrist open down to the bone. 'What are you?' she asked as Zack moved towards the small pool near the entrance. Tattoos covering more than half his body he waded into the water and felt a sense of relief as he scooped some up and brushed it over the wound. He hissed deeply but watched with a small smile as the torn skin pulled itself back together, leaving nothing more than a small bruise. 'Huh, healing water.' Sam muttered as she watched. 'Shall we move on?' she wondered, knowing that the sooner she got this done, the sooner she could go home. She walked out towards the temple entrance, 'Wait!' Zack hurried towards her, rubbing his head in pain. Sam caught him as he nearly fell down again. The moment she touched him, the tattoos glowed with a dark purple energy and Sam shut her eyes as images exploded from the void and into her mind. '_Take her.'_ A woman's voice demanded as she emerged from the darkness of the void, a sickly gold aura around her. '_Look at her.'_ Sam recognised the woman she was accusing as one of the people who had been at the table. '_She's been there. She's tainted by the Demon.' _She clicked her fingers and the two heavily armed soldiers flanking her raised their rifles. She pointed at Alyssa and they riddled her body with bullets. '_Put her with the others. We're done here.' _The scene changed; Sam could see the bodies of well known villagers piled on top of each other. Another scene; hundreds of others, including her parents, were locked up inside a glass cage. Sam let out a small tear as she opened her eyes and let go of Zack. 'It…It's horrible.' She sobbed, Zack gently comforted her as she sobbed against his shoulder, soaking his coat with tears. His electric blue eyes gave her a small disdainful glance as she began to shake with the thoughts of what she had seen. 'H-how can they g-g-get away with that?'  
'I know…' he said gently. '_**We know…'**_ his voice echoed back as it bounced along the walls, but Sam's sniffles deafened her to it.

It took Sam, ten minutes -and several boxes of tissues- to recover from the horrid images she had seen. They both sat on the altar, realising that what had happened was just a short way away. Zack's ears perked up as Dormin spoke to him, but Their words were not for Sam to hear. 'Yes. Of course.' He nodded. 'Yes, my lord.'  
'What?'  
'They said the Ritual is almost complete and They have gifts for us.' Sam's mood improved at these words. 'Gifts?' she wondered, thinking of wrapped up Christmas presents.  
'Yes. Yours is…There.' He pointed to the pool. A single shaft of light had hit a spot in it. Sam cautiously ran up to it and felt around in the pool before pulling free a set of clothes that were identical to Zack's. 'My reward is clothes.' Sam muttered, trying not to sound let down.  
'They protect you from the Colossus; they don't make you invisible, just…harder to notice.'  
'Oh.' Sam muttered as she slipped them on, they were now perfectly dry. 'What's your gift?'  
'Shadow flight.' Zack replied. Before Sam could question this, two powerful shadowy wings appeared on his back, he flexed them experimentally before folding them away, and they faded again. 'Useful for getting around and dealing with the pests that like to take to the skies.' Zack smiled. 'It's a modern- and sanitized- translation of what Dormin just stated. They may be a God, but they do like throwing their profanities around along with their "thou's" and "thy's". C'mon now. We're nearly done.'

'We're trapped.' Zack realised as a gate slammed down behind them, trapping them in the crumbling arena. 'And you _didn't_ think about that before we came down into an arena?' Sam demanded.  
'We'll get out, don't worry.' Zack said before there came a scathing snarl from somewhere nearby. 'Though...He might be a problem...'  
'We'll deal with it.' she said as she drew her sword. 'I hope...'

'Ugh! Gas!' Sam choked as the Colossi (Forgot the name) Spewed out a thick yellow gas. Sam pulled a sleeve across her face to try and filter the air. Zack, on the other hand, appeared unmarred by the gas. It was like a veil had surrounded him; the tattoos glowing a dark purple again. Could Dormin be shielding him? 'Sam, we have to get away from him!' he yelled over Sam's coughing and began to drag her towards a hole in the wall. Once out of danger, the tattoos faded to their usual black and Sam took several deep breaths to clear her lungs. 'You OK?' Zack asked as the Colossus prowled around outside, searching for them.  
'Fine.' she rasped, she was going to need a glass of water after this.

Patricia Black milled around in her chambers, so, Dormin wanted out… A smile came to her lips. 'Lilly.' She called out gently. 'Lillian!' There came the sound of shoes clicking against stone and the door opened to reveal a young woman with golden hair. 'Yes, my lady?' she wondered with a curtsey.  
'Lillian. Go to the Lands. Use your powers and kill the priest.' Lilly gave another curtsey and turned to leave. She was going to enjoy this.

'F-Fifteen…Down… Two to go.' Zack breathed as he rested against the table. Suddenly he looked up, Hair swinging back to reveal the tattoos covered his face and about ninety percent of his body.  
'Hi!' there came a small chirp from the other end of the hall. A golden blonde woman was standing there, wearing a white blouse and jeans. The air in the temple became very heavy as the candles flickered and died. '_Witch.'_ Zack growled and Sam was sure she heard a deeper voice echo this.  
'Oh, no…Let me think. _You're _the priest!' she giggled. 'Did you know that my ancestor dealt with your "god"? You're worshipping empty air.'  
'_**She lies…' **_the voice of Dormin was reassuring. '_**A mortal cannot fight a God!**_' At this, Lilly pouted.  
'See? Nothing but hot air. Now then…' She raised a hand as if to strike them down. 'I guess I'll have to prove my point.'  
'Samantha. She's mine.' Zack said as he walked in front of Sam. Samantha could sense the energy crackling in the air and decided to take a breather outside. 'I know why you've come here.' Zack stated. 'But I beg you now; leave and I will not have to kill you.' Lilly giggled loudly at these words, a high pitched, childish sound. 'You call that begging?' she wondered with another pout. 'You can do better than that.' She suddenly swiped, chanting her cries in an ancient tongue. Her cocky smile faded when Zack did not crumple on the floor, writhing and shrieking in agony. He merely stood there, examining his fingernails. 'Oh, I'm sorry? Did you just attack me?' he wondered. 'My turn!' He charged forwards, coat rippling out behind him. Lilly's eyes went wide as he reached her and initiated a somersault kick, launching her into the air with a blast of purple magickal energy. '_Roshankou….' _Though Zack did not speak, it was as though his soul was speaking in an ancient tongue, the ethereal voice bouncing around the room. Before Lilly could come back to the earth, Zack leapt up into the air and grabbed her before driving them both back to the ground. Lilly screamed as her face met stone, breaking her nose and knocking teeth out. 'Want some more?' Zack yelled at her as she struggled to get back to her feet. She sat up and her eyes went wide for a second. The light from outside threw his huge shadow across the temple, taking the form of a huge horned beast. 'Noo!' she screamed and ran away, vanishing in a flash of light.  
'_Coward.'_ Zack hissed as the tattoos returned to their usual black.  
_'__**Thou has done well, mortal…'**_  
'Thank you, my lord. Do you know if she will return?'  
'_**The witch will…Unless the Ritual is completed.' **_ Zack took that as a signal to get his ass in gear. 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Last Obstacle

Lilly appeared in the medical room, bleeding from her mouth. 'Dear child!' the doctor was on his feet immediately. 'Not on the linen!' Patricia had heard about the return of Lilly and how, by all reports, the priest had "beat the crap out of her". 'He…He had magick!' she whimpered as the doctor dealt with her wounds. 'He's not _allowed_ to have magick!'  
'Do be quiet, girl. I'm thinking.' Patricia snapped at her as she paced around. 'It is obvious that the demon has granted him power in exchange for his soul.'  
'Yes...Yes that's it.' Lilly agreed with a nervous laugh.

'This is the last one?' Sam demanded as she trudged her weary body through the ruins of an old city. 'Yes.' Zack replied, easily keeping up with her. 'Where is Argus?' They both looked around before Sam wanted a question answered that had bugged her. 'Why is it that with each Colossus we kill, there seems to be more greenery around?' the dead tree she had passed on the way to dealing with Malus, they had passed again, was now alive and flourishing with flowers and ripe fruits. 'Why do you think?' Zack wondered with a small smirk. 'Dormin?'  
'Yep.' Zack nodded back before the ground shook. 'Here comes the last one!' Zack laughed gleefully before a massive hand reached up the side of a cliff. 'This is it, Sam! Stay focused!'

'…I want explosives planted here, here and here.' Patricia ordered as she pointed to various parts of a map. 'We're going to collapse the valley and cause a landslide that'll stop them from getting out. The bridge there has been gone for quite a few centuries, so there's no way for them to get out.' She turned to Lilly 'Lilly, are you up for round two?'  
'Ready.' She said as she cracked her fingers. 'This time, I'll kick the crap out of HIM.'

'C'mon big guy!' Argus looked around for the source of the voice, the Colossus looked up to see Zack floating a few feet above them, shadowy wings beating powerfully, keeping him airborne. Argus tried to swat Zack while Sam panted as she climbed up the Colossus. 'Ugh…When I'm done with this. I have GOT to go on a holiday…' she gasped, breathless.  
'Samantha! Today would be nice!' Zack demanded as he flittered around the Colossus' head.  
Sam snarled as she held the blade between her teeth so she could use both hands for climbing. 'Finally!' Zack gasped as Sam emerged onto Argus' head and rammed the blade into his skull. She took her anger out on the final Colossus; 'I have been soaked through multiple times!' STAB! 'I have risked drowning and fatal electrocution!' STAB! 'I have nearly plummeted from lethal heights!' STAB! 'Crushed!' STAB! 'THIS HAD BETTER BE WORTH IT!' she screamed before delivering the finishing blow. Sam wrenched the sword free as Argus began to plummet, she began to f ne  
BOOM! The temple shook from nearby explosions, dust and rocks fell from the ceiling and hit the ground near the two lying figures. Soft boot steps could be heard as a dark coated figure walked over to them, blue eyes watched them resting. They turned suddenly to look at the stairs; a flicker of wonder crossed their shadowy features before they began ascending the stairs. They reached the doorway that looked out beyond the ruined bridge. Curious, they reached, as though trying to feel beyond the doorway. A barrier of energy appeared and blasted them backwards. They fell head over arse down the stairs before coming a rest on the ground floor and dissolving into shadows again. BOOM! 'Ugh?' Sam groaned as she opened her eyes, a small rock had hit her arm. Zack was lying next to her, not moving. Worry crossed her face as he did not respond to her wake-up shaking. She listened gently to his breathing, at least he was. Suddenly Sam was aware of another presence in the room, the same distinct feeling of being watched, but now it had become even more powerful. They raised a hand and pointed to the staircase. '_**Go.'**_ Their deep voice boomed around the temple.  
'Why don't you leave? You've been following me and- and watching me, but you don't leave! Why don't you just take what you want and leave?' Sam demanded.  
'_**We cannot leave these lands.**_'  
'What does that mean?'  
'_**Foolish mortals, in the presence of something greater then thyself, they act like children; terrified. Fear initiates savagery. Savagery binds thy heart. Thy heart leads on a path to recklessness. Recklessness leads to destruction and blind faith.**_ _**Blind faith leads to-'**_  
'Your binding.' Sam realised, they nodded in reply.  
'_**Beyond these lands, fools think themselves safe and superior to thou, Samantha. Their blind faith binds Us to these lands. We cannot leave these lands, but Our essence can. Only once some part of Us is free of these lands, when it contacts the ground not of Our prison. Will We be free.'  
'**_ What does that mean?' Sam demanded before they faded away. Shrugging at the God's enigmas, she turned back and shook Zack again. 'Zack…Hey…Zack-' She fell back on her backside as Zack sat up with a gasp. 'You…You had me worried.' She sighed.  
'It was all the essence, it I can feel it, coursing through my veins, feeding my powers.'  
'Hi!' A familiar chirping voice called out.  
'Ugh…Not her again.' Sam groaned as Lilly waved at them from the base of the stairs.

After Zack had given her another serving of her just desserts she looked at them both spitefully. 'You will die here, in the dark.' She hissed as she backed away, slowly vanishing into the light behind her 'You will not see the light again…'  
'Pft. You always talk of power! And you always run away!' Zack yelled at her. 'We ARE getting out of here with Dormin!' BOOM! This explosion was the loudest yet. It shook their bones and made the remains of shattered idols shake. 'THAT's IT!' Zack stormed up the stairs, his anger boiling over, the aura around him was bright and crackled with energy. 'I've had it!' Sam followed, at a distance, she had the feeling Zack had lost his sense of self and was now totally berserk. 'I have _had it…With their "mightier than thou" attitude…Their accusation of anything that is not with them as "evil"…Their child-like, clear cut definitions of morality…' _Zack snarled through gritted teeth. When he reached the top of the stairs and saw that their only way out had been destroyed, he threw back his head and let out an animalistic, bellowing ethereal roar; a sound that terrified Samantha and all who heard it. 'Zack…' Sam gently put a hand on his shoulder and his anger subsided immediately. 'We are getting out of here.' He said quietly. The still standing supports, the ruins of the bridge glowed brightly. 'What was once here can be made again…' he assured himself. Sam and Zack watched as a bright light spread across the surface of the ruins, when it faded, the bridge had been reconstructed in glowing bricks. 'Quickly!' Zack grabbed her and dragged her across the long bridge. 'While the power holds!'

Deep inside the temple, Dormin waited. They gently tapped the sole of their boot against the floor as They waited, knowing that the witch's feeble binding spells would soon be gone. '_**Neither man, nor woman, can fight a god…**_' they assured themselves with a chuckle. '_**What are witches, but mortals who spin their feeble spells into the lives of others? We have been here too long, now we will finally be free. Fire and brimstone will rain down on those who imprisoned us…'**_ They stopped and folded their arms, considering something. '_**But what of those who help us? What reward can be given to show our gratitude?' **_

'Insolent child!' Patricia Black slapped Lilly around the head. 'We had one chance to seal him away! ONE chance to save things for another two thousand years! And now it's GONE!' She hit Lilly again who hit the ground, whimpering.  
'I- I tried!' she sniffed. 'But...The priest...H-he's grown too strong.'  
'Nonsense child!' Patricia snorted as she gave the girl another kick for her failure, somewhat startling the crying witch (Sorry, couldn't resist). 'The priest is serving a false god, he has no power.'  
'You try saying that after having half your skin cursed off...' Lilly replied under her breath.

'They're all gone?' Sam gasped as they entered the deserted village, as she had feared, everyone was gone. 'Just like the vision...'  
'Alas!' Both of them spun around to face a man in a white suit. 'The village that was here is now gone, it's glory to the past! But…' he stopped and smiled 'Now their souls are free, while some memories remain here.' He cupped and ear. 'If you listen carefully, you can hear their voices still. Do you hear voices, Zack? What do they tell you?'  
'Right now, they tell me to break your neck.' Zack snarled.  
'Oo…So violent. Where are manners? You should show respect to your superiors-'  
'YOU ARE NOT MY SUPERIOR!' Zack's voice was another ethereal roar. The man smirked. Zack was so blinded by anger that only Sam could hear the sound of engines approaching. Her eyes went wide as she saw a military chopper, armed with missiles and several large mounted turrets. 'Err…Uh-oh.' She gasped as she shook Zack's shoulder until he noticed it. 'So what? We'll bring it down…'

'HA!' Zack yelled as he cast a barrage of spells, strong winds and lightning bolts were sent spiralling towards the chopper, it swerved to avoid them. 'AGH!' both Sam and Zack were caught in the blast from the missile. 'Sam?' he wondered, looking at the girl next to her, not moving. Was she…Dead? 'No…' Zack whispered before feeling deep inside himself; latching onto to Dormin's shadowy essence. 'We survive!' he demanded before casting his spell. Sam's body was picked up off the ground by an unseen force and she choked loudly as her heart was forced to start beating again. She clutched her chest in pain before realising where she was again. 'T-thanks.' She whispered.

Sam had, one moment been lying on the muddy ground, feeling her life slipping away. The next she was warm and dry. She was standing in an endless field of flowers, a clear blue sky above. She wasn't breathing, but she didn't care. She didn't need to. It was so peaceful here. She heard soft footsteps behind her and turned to look at who it was. A shifting shadow, a shade of the land. Soft darkness and a glaring bright light seemed to radiate from them. 'You... You're-' but before she could finish her sentace, she was dragged by the back of her neck from the earth and left on the soggy ground once more, choking and breathing loudly. Had she just seen the afterlife?

The man in white stared open mouthed at the smouldering wreck that had been a military chopper. He glanced over at Sam who was flexing her sword arm, he turned and ran. 'That's right! Run home to your leader!' Zack barked at him before hearing a groaning and walked over to the chopper's pilot who was still barely alive, having been impaled on a large shard to metal. Zack crouched down and the pilot's eyes went wide. 'Shh..' Zack whispered 'Eyes open now. I want to watch you slip away.' He finished in a demented hiss. He's a Psychopomp for Dormin… Sam thought. (A psycho pomp is a person or deity who grants safe passage to the afterlife, but in Zack's case, he's just being a bit too heavy handed with Dormin's darker nature. I think. )

'They're here! They're coming here!' the man in white yelped as he ran into the base. 'Seal the base!'  
The secretary spat out her ice tea again before hitting a button under the desk. 'Lockdown!' A blast doors slammed down over the doors and windows of the base, the lights flickered on to bright blanket lighting. She watched the front door on the monitor, it stood still before a massive inward dent appeared on it, then another, then another. Suddenly static covered the camera and she heard a distant explosion. 'uh-oh.' She gulped before running.

'Now friends, we must pray.' Patricia stated as they all crouched down in prayer. 'Know that anyone's name not found to be written in the Book of Light will have their body burnt and severed from all existence as their soul is fed to the demon, causing all loss of self.' She stated in her usual tone. 'But we are protected! It is our Lady's soul that guides us, she who ascended to godhood-' BOOM! Dust fell from the rafters and littered the hair of her congregation; the doors into the sanctum were blasted off their hinges. Revealing Sam with a rocket launcher. 'Hiya!' she grinned in Lilly's tone of voice. 'Just thought I'd drop in, sorry about the mess, but your doors were locked.' Sam's eyes twitched as she saw the stark _**blandness**_ of the room. 'Sorry. Did _I _break up your little prayer session?'  
'Ra, Yinepu, Djehuti, Bast, Osiris, Herne, Lugus, Balor….' Zack rattled off the names of gods as he followed Sam into the sanctum. 'Dormin.' He finished and there came a few hisses from the congregation. ' Why would_ they_, divine beings that go beyond our understanding, why would _they_ want someone likethe woman you follow?' he wondered, in a flash and rush of shadows he was inches away from Patricia's nose. 'Hm?' he asked her.  
'Our lady gave up her life to assure that the demon-'  
_'" Our lady…" Blah, blah, blah…' _Zack repeated in a high pitched, whining voice. 'And what about your hero, Emon, your knight in shining armour…No… Look at you! You people have allowed your beliefs to corrupt you! You slaughter millions of innocent people just because they seem like they are not with you. It is you who are the demons.'  
'_Heresy_…' Black spat as her body shook with rage, nails digging into her palms. 'Execute him!' she ordered. Lilly got there first. 'This is my revenge!' she cackled before there came a flash of steel. Lilly sliced his neck open. 'Ack!' Zack clutched at the wound as Sam felt her blood freeze. Lilly let out a cheer as she dropped the knife to the floor. Unaware of the dark, oily like blood that was on the blade. _Drip._ A single droplet fell from the blade and touched the marble floor. "_**Only once some part of Us is free of these lands, when it contacts the ground not of Our prison. Will We be free."**_ Sam recalled that. Was this what Dormin meant? Did they know this would happen?  
'...A fear that you do not understand.' Zack stated before his voice went as bitter as venom. '_I will be damned if I let you trap Dormin again...'_

That little droplet of blood on the floor was starting to grow and spread. Becoming a pool that no-one had yet noticed. Soon it became vast and people began to notice the darkening marble and backed away into the edges of the room. Sam felt the temperature drop and shivered as her breath steamed up and the sky outside darkened as storm clouds gathered. She could make out Zack's eyes, they seemed to glow in the dark. Lighting came on immediatly, illuminating the room where daylight had failed. Zack stood perfectly still, one gloved hand clamped over the bleeding slash in his neck. He winced in pain as the tattoos "bled out" spilling more of the oily substance onto the floor. When they had finished, his skin was unmarred as though they had never been there. Out of the oily blood spilled from the tattoos, sixteen shadowy figures rose. Blurred and distorted, their humanoid forms gave no distinct appearence, they merely wandered over to the large pool, as though each movement was an event. Black, Lilly and her congregation took a step back as a colossal black clawed hand emerged from the pool and grabbed the marble floor with a crunch.

The screams arose and shook the halls, Zack watched them with contempt, Sam could tell that under the hood, he was smirking. Self satisfaction etched on his features as more of the shadowy beast emerged. The seperate shadows waded through the pool and into the creature she could almost name... Zack moved forwards several steps, for room, as the beast grew until it was scraping the roof of the sanctum. As large as a colossus, it's hulking frame filled the sanctum, the same electric blue eyes she had seen so many times. Dormin spoke with a chilling male voice. '_**Thou has served us well, priest.'**_ Zack acknowledged this with a nod, but did not turn to face Dormin, he instead lowered his hand from his throat as the skin pulled itself back together, sealing the wound. Sam looked at his eyes again; a soft, yet somewhat sadened chocolate brown. The electric blue had gone, his power and bound faith no longer rested with Dormin. Zack shook his hood down and moved over to Sam. Then Dormin turned their attention to Patricia Black, her eyes wide and mouth agapae, seeing a creature she had only had nightmares of.'So. You are finally out of your prison. But... Your preist. The man you decieved. The person who stands before us... Is no longer a human being, nor the son of a family. He is... A monster, shaped by_ you_ alone. Livane whispered, she told me... only this; you gave him another life, just so you could have a chance at freedom.' she spoke without an ounce of fear in her voice. For now. She let out a wailing scream as Dormin grabbed her with one clawed hand and brought her to eye level. 'My Lady... Livane.' Patricia whispered as she looked up at the mural on the ceiling, a woman in white with flowing blonde hair. 'Save us...' she pleaded. Her faith might have been strong, but it didn't stop Dormin from crushing her like a bug. Zack and Sam took a quick backstep to avoid the blood that was splattered.

Lilly finally came to her senses after seeing her superior ending up splattered all over the sanctum. 'You bastard!' she demanded before chanting curse after curse, Dormin did not even acknowledge that the witch was trying her most powerful spells. Giving up, she turned around and headed towards the doors out of the Sanctum. 'Going somewhere?' Zack's glare of seething hatred froze her where she stood. He stood at the exit/ entrance. A shield of glowing energy prevented anyone from leaving. Dormin was getting their revenge. 


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Tying loose ends.

Sam must've blacked out at some point as she was now lying on the floor of the Sanctum. Wrapped in the coat of the priestess to shield her from the cold. She sat up suddenly, Zack sat on a pew a few feet away, glancing out of a window, his hood down, showing his long dark hair with a subtle purple tint to it that she had a feeling he had acquired over their journey. 'They're all dead.' he stated calmly as he stood up and helped her to her feet. 'All but one.' he continued and they both glanced at the figure of Lilly, crouched in a corner, sobbing softly. 'Dormin stripped her of her magick...' he whispered in her ear so only she could hear. 'We should leave here. There is nothing here for us.'

For some bizzare reason, her parents were at home, everyone in the village had returned to life, all with no memory of the past few days. 'Honey, what's wrong?' her mother asked her as Samantha hugged both of them tightly. 'You're covered in blood... What have you been up to?'  
'Mum... Can't we just talk about you?' she asked gently.  
'Just the usual- oh, this came for you...' her mother glanced around before passing her a bouquet of dark purple roses and a thank you card. 'They forgot to sign it.' she shrugged as Sam caught sight of a shadowy figure in the card and smiled.

'...This is an experimental procedure, so we might have to try several passes before we see any results.' the doctor declared as she analyzed the results from the tests. Zack held Ella's hand tightly as they waited for the results. He caught sight of what he first assumed to be a hallucination, but later realized it to be a hooded figure clad in darkest black. They raised a finger to their hidden face and whispered. '_Shh...'_ Zack could not interpret this sign until the doctor's voice reached him. 'I- I can't believe it...' She double, then triple checked the results. '...It worked.' He spun to face her.  
'What?' he gasped.  
'It worked.' the doctor repeated herself, seeming unable to believe it herself, before checking once again. 'The cancer's...gone...'  
Zack and Ella emitted a choking laugh before he glanced back at where the shade had stood, just an echo of a horned shadow on the wall before fading. Zack hugged Ella tightly, he could not wait to tell his father.

Ella returned to home with Zack to tell their father the good news. Zack was about to head in when- 'Zack!' he stopped and looked back to see Lilly walking towards him.  
'Hello.' he stated in a neutral tone.  
'Hey...I was wondering...Do you still have magick? Because...I don't. So, if you ever want to hang out and chant, or something...' she sounded nervous.  
'Yeah, sure. Hold your breath until I call.' he stated before turning to go into the house.  
'He probably doesn't have magick anyway...' she muttered, barely audible 'Following that demon-' CRACK! The heavy branch above her head broke free of the tree and hit the ground inches from her. She glanced back to find Zack in the doorway, giving her a small smile. 'I'd be careful what you say. Dormin's merciful enough to let you life. Don't let them take that from you too.'  
Lilly took several steps away from him. 'There is nothing for you after death, why do you not fear it?' she whispered. Zack stepped close to her to whisper but four words in her ear. '_I've been dead before...'_

'_**Now We wait... The land is free from those who are driven by corruption and perdition. The land breathes a sigh of relief. Though relics of the past still stand, the people have not lasted. Perhaps one day... Just as We have returned life to this once dead husk, mortals will return- huh?**_'

Dormin, from the planes that went beyond human sight, watched two recognisable mortals, Their priest and priestess, walking through the rooftop garden. Holding hands.  
'You feel that?' Zack asked as they took in deep breaths of fresh air. 'That's freshness.'  
'Yeah...' Sam replied as the wind gently blew through their hair.'Freshness in the Forbidden Lands.' Dormin just had to whisper something in Zack's ear. 'You know,' Zack continued as they sat down next to a stream. 'These lands weren't always forbidden.' Sam stopped resting her head on his shoulder and looked up.  
'Yeah? What were they called then?' Zack nodded as they glanced around the rooftop gardens, taking in the sights and scents. 'The Radiant Gardens...'

_***laughter* Perhaps We will not have to wait that long...**_

_**A/N: **__ Yes, there's nothing more romantic then arguing while slaying colossi to bring two people closer together. *_/ Obvious Sarcasm. * Anyway. Do review.


	9. Extras

Tropes:

Light is not Good: Not when it's being ruled by a corrupt military group and their power hungry goddess. I find it laughable that Patricia Black keeps ranting on about how Dormin is evil, yet she's the one slaughtering towns in the name of her goddess.

Dark is not Evil: I like Dormin.

Holier than thou: Patricia Black, need I say more? The congregation- and their lady- are a bunch of jerkasses anyway...

Badass Preacher: Zack, in a manner of speaking. Dormin doesn't control him, sure They nudge him into the shadows occasionally, but keep him on a "leash" of sorts, hence his blue eyes. Besides *sly grin* Zack's ancestry has deep roots in the land.

Ohh me accent's slipping: Noticebly Dormin. Well... You try to change with the times *shrug*

Deal with the devil: _**NO! **_Though most people- who, in my opinion- are unable to look past the surface of things (And demonized myths) So, he's huge, he has horns and claws, glowing eyes and breathes blue fire. What the "Fudge" were you expecting? A Jesus lookalike? Yeah, Dormin= Dark god. ^ Look up ^

Movie adaption: So I've heard... I just hope they don't make him into a slobbering vile demonic looking beast. I think he's a dark god. And dark god's aren't evil. Vengeful, yes. Powerful, hell yes. Evil? Did you read that trope up above?

FAQ's:

**Q: **Why doesn't Zack decay like Wander did?

**A:** Wander, I assume, held onto Dormin's power, filling him up like a vessel. Now... A god's power in a mortal body... It's gonna fall apart. Zack gave most of that energy to Dormin, keeping a small slither of it to power his magic.

**Q: **Why did Dormin bring Zack back to life?

**A: ** He/ They, needed someone who was willing to commit a selfless act. & Zack visits his sister _each day_. So yeah...

Prototype ideas:

-Zack orignally carried a scythe as a weapon. But I discarded it as, combined with the coat, he looked too much like a reaper.

-Patti Black and her soldiers took the fight to Dormin's land. They still failed.

-That's not a l'Cie brand on his hand at the start. 


End file.
